School districts across Clinton County have reported a drop-off in students opting-out of the Common Core testing. District officials have given a variety of reasons for the reductions, from better transparency to less onerous testing questions.

PLATTSBURGH — While the final numbers aren’t in, early figures reveal fewer students are participating in the opt-out movement against standardized testing.

Seven of eight public school districts in Clinton County saw reduced opt-out rates this spring, administrators said.

The exact opt-out rates ranged from a low of 29.5 percent in Northern Adirondack to a high of 57 percent at AuSable Valley Central.

Despite the universal decrease, local administrators differed on the exact causes underpinning the changes.

TEACHER EVALS

Plattsburgh City School District Superintendent Jay LeBrun attributes the overall decrease to the link between student scores and teacher evaluations — a major sticking point last year as educators battled with the state Department of Education and the governor over reforms that would have wedded the two.

“There’s surely a host of different motivations for which some families may no longer be opting their students out of testing,” LeBrun said. “But I suspect that the moratorium on the use of these results in teacher evaluation may be foremost amongst these.”

LeBrun added: “Though the current opt-out rates appear, across the state, to be somewhat lower than in recent years past, our district’s experience seems stable in proportion to others in our region.”

Northern Adirondack Superintendent Laura Marlow agreed that the chief reason beyond the lower rates, even in her district, is likely due to the nixed reforms.

“We’re seeing a lower opt-out rate,” said Marlow, where opt-out rates declined 12 percent this year over 2016 in grades 7-8, and 17 percent in grades 3-6.

“Scores of students don’t effect teacher’s ratings any longer.”

LESS STRICT

Since the turmoil that saw public school advocates protest across the state — New York State United Teachers decried he tests as an “erosion of local control” — the state Department of Education has revised the controversial testing, reducing the number of questions on the exams, encouraging more teacher involvement in developing them, no longer timing the tests and reducing potential teacher penalties.

Marlow also attributes the drop-off to these changes.

“It has to do with the fact that the testing, this time, is not as rigid… that’s my hunch,” she said.

Director of Curriculum Assessment for the Peru Central School District, Scott Storms, attributed his district’s decrease in opt-out rates to the state’s parent education efforts.

“I think parents are getting the message regarding the state’s changes,” said Storms. “The state has shortened the test — particularly the reading passages, and students with disabilities have been taken into consideration.”

BETTER TRANSPARENCY

At the Ausable Valley, Superintendent Paul Savage attributed the decrease in opt outs to better transparency at the state and local level when it comes to details surrounding the exams.

“The school and state has done a better job at putting up more information regarding the test,” said Savage. “Maybe having more of that information out there has helped.”

In Savage’s district, 57 percent of students opted out of state testing — a 16 percent decrease from 2016.

‘A PERSONAL ISSUE’

Chazy Central Rural Schools have seen a minimal decrease, according to Superintendent John Fairchild.

“I don’t know if there’s any significant reason [for the decrease],” said Fairchild.

Saranac Central School Superintendent Jonathan Parks said that parents in his district have considered whether to opt out or not carefully.

“Parents are opting out for a variety of reasons,” Parks said, noting that the decision whether to remove their child from taking state testing is a personal issue decided by families.

In Saranac, the opt out rate for this week’s ELA exams are hovering around 36.9 percent — down 4.6 percent from last year, and 17 percent from 2015.

At the state level, more than 20 percent of students in New York have refused to take the tests, according to The New York Times. According to Politico, in 2016, the combined math and ELA test refusals totaled 21 percent.

The Washington Post reported there are 1.5 million students around the state participating in this year’s ELA testing. In 2016, there were 1.1 million eligible students.

MOVING FORWARD

Lebrun said the district will “continue to take a neutral stance on testing: we will comply with all state requirements, while respecting (and accommodating in a non-judgmental way) parents’ choices for their children.”

The second round of testing, math, will be held in May.

Parks expects an increase in opt outs.

“I imagine the opt out rate for the test will increase, as it has the past two years,” said Parks.

“The assessments provide an annual check-up for students, allow achievement gaps to be identified and closed, and have been continuously improved after taking into account the concerns of parents and educators,” said High Achievement New York in a statement.

“While there is more work to be done to improve the assessments and build more parental confidence, the tide is slowly and steadily turning toward greater participation.”

Beekmantown Central School District’s numbers are unclear, as multiple calls to Superintendent Dan Mannix were not returned.